ARCHDALE, N.C. (WGHP) — Three people were bitten by rabid foxes all in the past month within about a four-mile radius.
Randolph County Public Health is sending out a warning after three foxes that tested positive for rabies were found and killed in Archdale.
One mother told FOX8 that two foxes came out of the woods near her house on West White Drive. One ran into her yard and bit her seven-year-old daughter. All this happened right beside Archdale Elementary’s playground. The mom is worried about her kids’ safety once they head back to school with rabid foxes living in these trees.
Three bite marks on the seven-year-old girl’s leg were left by a rabid fox that attacked her on July 2nd just before lunchtime. Her father had to hit the animal with a brick to get it off her.
On July 30, another attack happened less than five miles down the road at a house on Kreamer Drive. Neighbors told FOX8 the tenants were moving out that morning when a fox latched onto a woman’s pants. Her husband tried to help, killing it with a hammer. But we’re told the fox bit his hand, which sent him to the hospital for a couple of days.
Just one street over, another rabid fox bit a homeowner on Fernwood Drive in July.
All three people bitten are getting treatment after all three foxes found in Randolph County tested positive.
North Carolina law requires you to vaccinate your pets for rabies, whether they live inside or outside.
Everyone living in the neighborhoods where the foxes were found got a flyer, detailing things you can do to prevent rabies exposure. That includes staying away from animals that are acting strange, feeding your pets indoors to avoid attracting wild animals and reporting all strays to animal services.